第87部分(第6/7 頁)

ch　can　no　more　be　remedied；　because　as　we　have　chosen　so　we　must　go；　as　the　tree　falls　so　must　it　lie。　Even　in　this　world　the　might…have…been　is　a　thing　terrible　to　contemplate；　what；　then；　may　it　be　in　a　world　that　will　neither　suffer　us　to　die　nor　die　itself？　To　be　cast　out　to　the　murk　while　others　serve　in　honour　within　the　glowing　gates；　to　be　told　to　chew　the　cud　of　our　unbelief　or　to　eat　of　the　husks　and　drink　of　the　sour　wine　of　our　desires　till　we　loathe　the　taste　and　stench　of　them；　while　others　—　among　them；　perchance；　our　most　adored　—　feed　on　the　manna　of　the　blest；　to　endure　the　reproaches　and　the　heaped…up　hate　of　the　panions　of　our　woe；　to　be　separated　from　those　we　loved　and　who　loved　us；　those　who　have　chosen　the　better　part　—　oh！　surely　we　need　fly　to　no　obscene　phantasies　of　mediaeval　torture　to　paint　the　picture　of　a　blacker　hell。　Even　if　mercy　finds　us　at　the　last；　as　for　my　part　I　think　it　must　and　will；　what　sufferings　must　we　first　endure！　—　for　of　this　we　may　be　certain；　that　if　in　such　conditions　we　should　cease　to　suffer；　then　we　shall　be　lost　and　draw　near　to　the　Second　Death　whence　we　can　scarcely　hope　to　rise　again。　For　the　soul；　as　for　the　body；　pain　is　a　healthy　symptom。　When　it　passes　we　are　apt　to　mortify　and　—　cease。

Now；　like　a　Scotch　preacher；　I　go　to　my　second　head：　the　folly　of　sin　whereof　even　here　the　heritage　is　of　sackcloth　and　of　ashes。　Never　was　there　a　truer　saying　than　that　the　Devil　is　the　worst　of　paymasters。　If　we　go　against　the　rules　of　the　game　as　they　are　laid　down　for　us　by　the　creed　we　serve　in　that　part　of　the　world　in　which　we　have　been　born；　even　when　those　rules　seem　not　natural　to　us；　we　err；　and　what　is　more　we　injure　others；　which　is　surely　the　essence　of　sin。　For；　as　I　have　said；　the　laws　of　Nature　di